Sen. Tom Cotton pushed again Sunday in opposition to Democrats’ claims that the House GOP is taking part in politics with the troops in Friday’s passage of a protection spending invoice that features measures to limit Pentagon insurance policies on abortion and variety, fairness and inclusion.
The Republican-controlled House handed its model of the National Defense Authorization Act with a ultimate vote of 219-210. The measure now goes to the Democrat-controlled Senate.
“I hope all these measures stay in there because, again, the military should not be paying for abortion tourism or for diversity consultants or sex change operations,” Mr. Cotton, Arkansas Republican, mentioned on “Fox News Sunday.” “They should be buying the weapons that we need to defend our nation and to support the troops.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Republican, positioned a maintain on all navy officer promotions over the Defense Department’s coverage granting particular go away for service members assigned to bases in states that limit abortions. The Defense Department says Mr. Tuberville’s holds are harming nationwide safety.
“The secretary of defense and the president think that this is a readiness issue and they want to find the responsible party,” Mr. Cotton mentioned. “They should look in the mirror. They’re the ones who are violating the law and using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion tourism.”
The Pentagon’s coverage, championed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, authorizes three weeks of paid go away that gained’t be charged in opposition to the service member’s account. Expenses resembling journey and lodging are also lined.
Other types of emergency wants for service members, such because the loss of life of a member of the family, aren’t lined in such a beneficiant vogue, Mr. Cotton mentioned.
“An airman could walk in and say, ‘My mother and my father just unexpectedly died. Can I have leave to go to their funeral?’” he mentioned. “They would be charged leave that comes out of their annual allotment, and they will get no expenses paid.”
If a service member needs to have an abortion, they need to use their 30 days annual go away for the process, Mr. Cotton mentioned, including that it shouldn’t be funded by taxpayers.
“If Lloyd Austin and Joe Biden think this is a threat to our national security, the simplest thing to do would be to revert to the same practices we had for decades … and rescind this unlawful policy on abortion tourism,” he mentioned. “What the House has done is taken reasonable steps supported by a large majority of Americans to ensure that we’re funding our troops and the weapons they need to keep our country safe.”
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